7/31/2011 12:28:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

A new book is to be released in 2012 entitled Red White and Who - The Story of Doctor Who in America; edited by Arnold T. Blumberg, Steven Warren Hill, Jennifer Adams Kelley, and J. Shaun Lyon, the book aims to be the definitive guide to Doctor Who fandom in America, from its origins through to modern-day forums and fan groups.

Every American Doctor Who fan has a story to tell, and fans of the iconic British television show love to tell stories. All of them, from casual viewer to hardcore fanatic, will happily regale others with the tale of how and when they discovered the greatest science fiction media franchise ever. The majority of the first dedicated American Who fans first met the Doctor in the early 1980s, nearly twenty years after the show began in 1963…but the story of Doctor Who in America, a fascinating, complex and influential journey into pop culture, stretches much farther back...

RED WHITE AND WHO is a chronological narrative of the history of Doctor Who – and its fandom – in the United States, incorporating rare illustrative material, and interviews with and essays by some of the key people who laid the groundwork for the fandom in which we participate today.

The editors are looking for American fans who can contribute to the book, and have provided several ways to get in touch:

Contributions can include printed material and photos, and the editors have outlined how these can be made:

To contribute material to help us with our research and for possible inclusion in the book, please follow these guidelines:

PRINTED MATERIAL/PHOTOS: Scanned jpegs or PDFS (1:1, 150dpi/b&w, 300dpi/color). E-mail them after initial contact, share via an online sharing site, or mail on CD/DVD. If you can’t scan, you can mail photocopies. If you must mail photos, we recommend duplicates; we cannot guarantee condition of photos after submission.

AUDIO/VIDEO: MP3/AIFF files and any video format can be e-mailed, shared or sent on CD/DVD and other physical formats.

PLEASE NOTE: With ALL submissions, please include full name, mailing address, and e-mail address. A phone number would also be useful. All contributors will be credited in the final volume if we use your material; any personal photographs will also be properly noted on the copyright page. All copyrights remain your own. Submission of material constitutes an agreement that you accept printed credit as compensation for your submission.

7/29/2011 10:16:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Even though ratings for the first few episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day have proven reasonable for both Starz and the BBC, this has never been a guarantee that a fifth series of the show will automatically be commissioned.

Torchwood is not one of the shows we went into thinking about a yearly return. It’s about Russell T Davies - he has a lot of things on his plate. If Torchwood is not at the top of his list, that will affect the future of Torchwood.

Davies previously indicated that he had been considering moving onto other projects after Miracle Day's production was completed - in February he told BBC Wales Today:

It's interesting as to how long I can stay in the science fiction world. Personally I think I'm coming to the end of it now and I've saved the world and blown up the world too many times, and I hope I leave Torchwood in rude health, and then I'll probably move onto something else then.

It's time to write something just where people talk in kitchens, at least for me. But I hope we literally leave the franchise in in a very strong position that other writers come in and take it over.

Subsequently, Davies has been reported as developing a new show for Showtime, entitled Cucumber. However, with over half of Miracle Day still to be transmitted (episode four, Escape to L.A., premiering tonight on Starz), Torchwood's future cannot be written off quite yet!

7/29/2011 04:38:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Next Thursday (4th August) sees the fourth episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day premiering in the UK, with Escape to L.A. being broadcast at 9:00pm on BBC1/BBC1HD. The episode will also be repeated on BBC2/BBCHD the following Monday at 11:20pm, and available to watch online in the UK via the BBC iPlayer until 23rd September.

PLOT SYNOPSIS FOR ESCAPE TO L.A. FOLLOWS - MAY BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER

The fight against PhiCorp takes the Torchwood team to California, where a trap is waiting. Meanwhile, Oswald and Jilly find themselves with an enemy of their own.

The BBC have made a preview clip available to watch on the BBC iPlayer and YouTube; Starz have also released their own preview on YouTube.

Torchwood episode 4 preview, BBC, via iPlayer - may not play outside of the United Kingdom
Alternatively there is a YouTube version.

7/29/2011 11:05:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Torchwood: Dead of Night achieved an average audience of 4.2 million viewers on BBC One and BBC One HD, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The third in the series had 18.8% of the audience share and was the 7th most watched programme of the day. It won the 9pm timeslot, with Single Handed on ITV1 watched by 3.1 million viewers.

The figure was slightly down on the last week, which scored an average of 4.4 million. The episode saw a drop in viewers during the hour from 4.6 million in the first quarter to 4.0 million in the final quarter

The final ratings for Dead of Night will be released next week and will include those who record the programme and watch it within seven days.

Mondays late night repeat of episode Two Rendition had 0.4 million watching.

Initial audience figures released for Dead of Night shown on Starz last Friday indicated that 1.1m viewers watched over its opening night; the premiere broadcast at 10:00pm was watched by 636,000 viewers, with its 11:00pm repeat seen by 382,000. This compares with an average of 976,000 viewers for Rendition's opening night.

7/29/2011 02:46:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

A new video looking into the world of Doctor Who Fandom has just been released.

The movie FANZ, by Marq English covers many facets of being a Doctor Who fan, including conventions, fan films, costumes, merchandise and the new series.

PRESS RELEASE

BBC Television's Doctor Who is the world's longest running science fiction TV series and over the years, has built up a loyal and passionate fanbase around the globe. This feature length movie documents the weird, wacky and wonderful world of Doctor Who fandom. With the impact of the new series in 2005, it has never been a better time to embrace the affection this unique programme generates.

The film covers the vast spectrum of fandom including conventions, fan fiction, artwork, merchandise, the internet, professional fans and the dedicated following of Doctor Who.

7/28/2011 05:30:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

The new Doctor Who Magazine takes a look at Torchwood: Miracle Day with behind the scenes to talk to the cast and crew of this extraordinary adventure, including stars John Barrowman (Captain Jack), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Mekhi Phifer (Rex Matheson), Alexa Havins (Esther Drummond), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Lauren Ambrose (Jilly Kitzinger) and head writer and creator Russell T Davies.

DWM asked John Barrowman, could Jack ever return to Doctor Who?

Yes, I want to come back! The beautiful thing about Doctor Who is, it’s time travel. Matt’s Doctor could go back before Jack met his Doctor. Or Matt’s Doctor could meet a darker Jack...? That’s fine too. There are ways to do it. When he’s in Doctor Who, Jack is very different to the Jack that’s in Torchwood. Everybody knows my love of Doctor Who, and I would do it at the drop of a hat.

Also in this issue:

Called to Action - Five remarkable individuals joined the Doctor in his fight against Amy’s kidnappers in A Good Man Goes To War – but could they return to help him again? Find out as DWM talks to the actors who played them: Simon Fisher-Becker (the ‘fat, old, and blue’ Dorium Maldovar), Neve McIntosh (Silurian warrior Madame Vastra), Catrin Stewart (Victorian maid Jenny), Dan Starkey (lactating Sontaran Strax) and Christina Chong (forest-dwelling soldier Lorna Bucket).

Storytellers - Doctor Who’s showrunner Steven Moffat presents an exclusive guide to the writers of the new series. Find out who’s a wimp, who’s a polymath and who’ll break you heart (twice) in Production Notes...

Masterpieces - It was the season that gave us Axons, Dæmons and Autons... and which introduced the Doctor’s arch-enemy, the Master! DWM takes a nostalgic look back at the adventures of the Third Doctor, Jo and the Brigadier in 1971’s Series Eight, as Countdown to 50! continues.

Time for a Shock - As Amy and the Doctor struggle against the ravages of time, they’re shocked when an old enemy appears… Don’t miss the thrilling final chapter of the latest comic strip adventure, Apotheosis, written by Jonathan Morris with art by Dan McDaid!

Roy's Roles - DWM pays tribute to the late Roy Skelton, the versatile actor who was the voice of dozens of characters, including the Daleks and Cybermen in Doctor Who... and Zippy and George in Rainbow.

Nice Day for a White Wedding - Emma, Michael, Chris and Will get their hankies ready as they prepare watch the emotionally-charged, time-twisting Ninth Doctor story Father's Day. Who will blub and who will retain their composure? Find out in The Time Team

Happy Anniversary - To celebrate the release of the 150th audio adventure in the regular monthly range, DWM catches up with the men behind Big Finish. Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery, Nicholas Briggs and David Richardson talk candidly about the past and future of the range – including the new series featuring the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker...

Spoilt for Choice - What’s best – assiduously avoiding all spoilers, or finding out as much as possible about future episodes of Doctor Who? Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon argue the pros and cons in the latest (spoiler-free!)

Smuggled In - The First Doctor, Ben and Polly enters a world of skullduggery, murder and deceit as they take on a band of merciless pirates – erstwhile crew of the notorious Captain Avery! Join The Fact Of Fiction as it goes back in time to reveal a treasure trove of secrets concerning the 1966 adventure The Smugglers

PLUS! All the latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions and a prize-winning crossword.

7/28/2011 10:40:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

After months of anticipation, the international version of the BBC iPlayer service has been launched today for Apple iPad users in parts of Europe. The application enables those in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland to watch a variety of programming from the BBC's archive, including Doctor Who.

The CEO of BBC Worldwide, John Smith, said:

I'm proud that we're one of the first international broadcasters to give access to our shows in a perfectly packaged app. This launch is an important route to market in our strategy of pursuing multiple platforms for our programmes and brands, taking British programmes to new digital audiences around the world. Today marks a significant next step on a digital journey that has already seen 12m BBC Worldwide apps downloaded across brands as diverse as Lonely Planet and Good Food.

Based on the soaring success of the UK's pioneering BBC iPlayer service, the app combines technical innovation with editorial creativity to transport users to the heart of the BBC and British television and on a journey of discovery, wherever and whenever they want. We have an exciting vision for what this service could become and will develop it based on feedback from within the markets.

The video-on-demand service, which will cost €6.99 a month, or €49.99 annually, differs from the UK version in allowing both online streaming and downloading for offline viewing of programmes. As well as Doctor Who, subscribers will have access to many series, including Fawlty Towers, Sherlock, Luther, Eastenders, Only Fools and Horses and Top Gear - programming is expected to expand weekly.

Meanwhile in Australia, technology manufacturer Samsung have announced that their Smart TV and blu-ray players will be able to utilise a new application to access ABC's iView on-demand service, enabling access to programmes like Doctor Who, Angry Boys and Spics and Specs; BBC News will also be available as a streaming service.

Samsung is committed to delivering a wide range of local and international content direct to Australian homes through Samsung Apps. Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray players are changing how consumers perceive the TV experience in their home.

7/27/2011 06:41:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

The following gives some details about episode which might be considered a spoiler.

The episode is to be called The Girl Who Waited; says MacRae:

I went down onto the set quite a lot and it was great to see it filmed. It’s a real tear-jerker of an episode and it’s very much focused on Karen. Her acting in it is amazing. I know she’ll break the viewers’ hearts in two when they watch it, it’s so emotional.

MacRae hails from Northamptonshire, like the current Doctor Matt Smith:

It’s wonderful writing for Matt, he’s such a fantastic actor and a genuinely lovely guy. He’s about the same age as me, we’re from the same town and we’ve got a lot of friends in common, so it was great to work with him. And as The Doctor, I admire him so much. I’m a huge fan of what he’s done on the show, I would say he’s 'my Doctor'.

7/26/2011 09:56:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

The fifth edition of Doctor Who Insider will be available in North America from 4th August.

In this issue, John Barrowman talks about how couldn't be happier to be playing Captain Jack Harkness once again in the new series ofTorchwood:

To think that John Barrowman – you know, a British television guy – and I’m now
riding my bike through Warner Brothers and people are going "heyyyy!"

Also in this issue:

SPACE AGE SAVAGE: It’s been over 30 years since Louise Jameson played scantily‐clad Leela opposite Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, but the series is still part of her life, as she tells Insider in the first part of an exclusive interview.

NEW TRICKS FOR AN OLD DOG: Visual effects designer Mike Tucker tells Insider how the Doctor’s faithful robot dog, K9 was given a new lease of life in the Tenth Doctor adventure, School Reunion.

BACK ON TARGET: We discover how the fondly remembered Doctor Who novelizations of the past are being given a new lease of life as audio books from AudioGO and in brand new editions
from BBC Books.

I WAS... OMEGA: Actor Stephen Thorne tells Insider how he was the unseen face, but unforgettable voice, behind three of the Doctor’s greatest foes – including the legendary Time Lord, Omega.

NEXUS POINT: We examine the moment when the renegade Second Doctor was finally captured by his own people, the Time Lords and put on trial for interfering in the affairs of others.

DATA FILE: We take a look back at last year’s Victory of the Daleks in which the Eleventh Doctor met Churchill and encountered his arch enemies for the first time.

TIME SCOOP: Trapped in the Time Scoop this issue are the unstoppable Cybermen who have fought the Doctor in many of his incarnations.

MERCHANDISE: Previews of the latest Doctor Who merchandise, including Paradise Towers and The Sun Makers on DVD, featuring an interview with Michael Keating who played Goudry in The Sun Makers. We talk to the authors of the 150th Doctor Who audio drama release from Big Finish Productions and look back on the best audio stories of the past. Author George Mann reveals how he sent the Doctor on a time‐twisting adventure in Edwardian England in his new novel, Paradox Lost. David J Howe rounds up the latest Doctor Who merchandise and takes a look at the latest figures from Underground Toys.

PLUS! The latest official news and a giant, double‐sided poster of Captain Jack and Victory of the Daleks.

BEHIND‐THE‐SCENES FEATURES: We talk to Doctor Who’s current production designer, Michael Pickwoad, who tells us how he created Christmas on another world for 2010’s A Christmas Carol. Plus, we discover how the Doctor’s old foes were given a new lease of life for the Doctor Who Experience in London.

NEXUS POINT: We examine some pivotal moments from the Doctor’s adventures, including Pyramids of Mars and The Parting of the Ways.

DATA FILE: All the Doctor’s greatest foes gathered to entrap him in The Pandorica Opens. Our guide shows you who exactly was there for this momentous occasion.

TIME SCOOP: Three of the Doctor’s greatest foes – the Sontarans, the Silurians, and the evil creator of the Daleks, Davros are all caught in the Time Scoop as we present a visual guide to their various encounters with the Doctor.

PLUS! A double‐sided poster of the Doctor, Amy and Rory, and The Pandorica Opens.

7/25/2011 01:36:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Episode One of Torchwood: Miracle Day had a final official rating of 6.59 million viewers according to figures released by BARB.

The programme was the 8th highest rated on BBC One for the week. The final result includes those who recorded the programme and watched it within 7 days. It does not include those watching on iPlayer. The rating is almost exactly the same as the first episode of the last series of Torchwood, Children of Earth, which had a final rating of 6.47 million on BBC One with an additional 0.13 million watching on BBC HD.

Meanwhile Episode Two had an AI score of 85, the same as that for Episode One.

7/25/2011 10:37:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

For every year since 2001 the Guardian has released the Media 100 - a list of who they consider are currently the most powerful people in the UK Media; candidates for the list are judged on cultural influence, economic clout and political power over the course of the last year.

This year sees Doctor Who and Sherlock lead writer Steven Moffat enter the chart as number 92:

Steven Moffat is one of a select band of writers and producers who is almost as famous as the stars who appear in his shows.

Not content with being the showrunner on the BBC's biggest-selling global hit, Doctor Who, he was also the co-creator, along with League of Gentlemen star Mark Gatiss, of one of BBC1's most acclaimed new dramas of last year, Sherlock.

Moffat, a long-time Whovian, began his TV career with the Bafta-winning children's show Press Gang and was best known for BBC2 sitcom Coupling before taking over from Russell T Davies on the time-travelling show. He also co-scripted new Steven Spielberg film, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

BBC executives that have an influence of Doctor Who's future in the list include Director General Mark Thompson (4), Director of Vision George Entwistle (26), and BBC1 Controller Danny Cohen (14)

Moffat's predecessor Russell T Davies was a regular in the chart when he was overseeing Doctor Who, entering the chart strongly for his 2004 involvement in bringing the series back at number 14 in the 2005 list, followed up by 28 (2006), 15 (2007) and 31 (2008). The Doctor himself has also appeared in the past, represented by actor David Tennant who was listed as number 24 in 2007.

The list is drawn up by a panel of judges, which this year included Lorraine Heggessey, the BBC1 controller responsible for the decision to bring Doctor Who back into production during 2003 (and herself ranked 46/54 during that period).

7/24/2011 10:03:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

BBC America have confirmed that Doctor Who will return to the channel on Saturday, August 27th at 9/8c when the series continues with Let's Kill Hitler, written by Steven Moffat and directed by Richard Senior.

The BBC will not confirm a UK date for the return until much nearer the date of transmission, but a showing in the early evening of Saturday 27th is very likely.

7/24/2011 09:38:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Karen Gillan had told the website Zap2it that she is staying with Doctor Who for the foreseeable future and will be returning as Amy Pond for the next series of the show which goes into production at the end of the year.

Doctor Who has been commissioned for a further fourteen episodes following this year's Christmas Special, and previously only Matt Smith was known to have been contracted for the run. Gillan was interviewed at Comic-Con and when asked if she would be returning she said, "I am going to come back, yes,That's the first time I've said that today".

The 33rd series will be the seventh full series since the show returned in 2005. It is due to be shown during 2012 and 2013.

7/24/2011 12:24:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Karen Gillan (aka Amy Pond) will be making her West End theatre debut this Autumn in a revival of John Osbourne's 1964 play Inadmissible Evidence.

The play is to be performed at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre and will be directed by Jamie Lloyd. Gillan will play the character of Shirley, the hard-done-by secretary to middle-aged laywer Bill Maitland, to be played by Douglas Hodge; other cast members include Esther Hall, Amy Morgan, Daniel Ryan, and Al Weaver.

The Daily Mail reported that Lloyd had been very impressed with the Doctor Who actress:

Karen read twice for him at auditions and he was impressed with her charisma and her natural instincts. "More importantly, she can do the text convincingly and she feels as if she comes from that Sixties British Mad Men world," Lloyd added.

Originally performed in 1965 on Broadway, the play featured Nicol Williamson as Maitland and Jeanne Hepple as Shirley. It was subsequently made into a film with Williamson reprising the role alongside Eileen Atkins in 1968.

Synopsis: Bill Maitland, a middle aged lawyer, struggles to avoid the harsh truths of his life and keep a hold on reality. As those closest to him begin to draw away, he puts himself on trial to fight for his sanity.

The play runs from 13th October to 26th November - for more details see the theatre website.

7/24/2011 12:00:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston has been expanding on remarks he made in the Radio Times last year as to the reasons he left Doctor Who.

In comments to students at an acting master class in London, and reported by Bad Wilf, he told of how he left the series after falling out with those in charge of the show.

I left Doctor Who, because I could not get along with the senior people. I left, because of politics. I did not see eye-to-eye, with them. I didn't agree with the way things were being run. I didn't like the culture that had grown up, around the series. So, I left. I felt, over a principle. I thought to remain, which would have made me a lot of money and given me huge visibility, the price I would have had to pay, was to eat a lot of shit.

I'm not being funny about that. I didn't want to do that and, it comes to the art of it, in a way. I feel that if you run your career and-we are vulnerable as actors and, we are constantly humiliating ourselves auditioning. But, if you allow that to go on, on a grand scale. You will loose, whatever it is about you and, it will be present in your work.

If you allow your desire to be successful and visible and financially secure – if you allow that to make you throw shades on your parents, on your upbringing, then you’re knackered. You’ve got to keep something back, for yourself, because it’ll be present in your work. A purity or an idealism is essential or you’ll become– you’ve got to have standards, no matter how hard work that is. So it makes it a hard road, really.

You know, it’s easy to find a job when you’ve got no morals, you’ve got nothing to be compromised, you can go, ‘Yeah, yeah. That doesn’t matter. That director can bully that prop man and I won’t say anything about it’. But then when that director comes to you and says ‘I think you should play it like this’ you’ve surely got to go ‘How can I respect you, when you behave like that?’

So, that’s why I left. My face didn’t fit and I’m sure they were glad to see the back of me.

Despite his reasons for leaving Eccleston is still proud of what he achieved in the role.

The important thing is that I succeeded. It was a great part. I loved playing him. I loved connecting with that audience. Because I've always acted for adults and the suddenly, you're acting for children. Who are far more tasteful, they will not be bullshitted. It's either good, or it's bad. They don't schmooze at after show parties, with cocktails.

During the master-class Eccleston revealed that he had recently been informed that he was a victim of phone hacking during his time as the Doctor, and he said will be taking legal action against the parties involved.

7/23/2011 10:34:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;A HREF="http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?rt=tf_w_mpw&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;MarketPlace=GB&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Fthdowhnepa-21%2F8014%2Fb5513ec9-a2d0-461a-8909-a680491e40ca&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;Operation=NoScript"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Amazon.co.uk Widgets&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/A&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
Music from the London production of William Shakespeare'a Much Ado About Nothing, starring David Tennant as Benedick and Catherine Tate as Beatrice has been released and is available to download from iTunes or Amazon.

The soundtrack features nine tracks featured in the stage production plus two bonus tracks with vocals from Tennant and Tate. The highly acclaimed show continues at Wyndhams Theatre in London until 1st September.

7/22/2011 02:11:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Next Thursday (28th July) sees the third episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day premiering in the UK, with Dead of Night being broadcast at 9:00pm on BBC1/BBC1HD. The episode will also be repeated on BBC2/BBCHD the following Monday at 11:20pm, and available to watch online in the UK via the BBC iPlayer until 23rd September.

The following is the plot synopsis for Dead of Night which might be considered a spoiler

Torchwood goes on the run, and finds a new enemy. But as they launch a raid on PhiCorp headquarters, Jack must confront the mysterious Oswald Danes.

7/22/2011 11:14:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Torchwood: Rendition achieved an average audience of 4.4 million viewers on BBC One and BBC One HD, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The second in the series had 19.1% of the audience share and was the 6th most watched programme of the day. It won the 9pm timeslot, with Single Handed on ITV1 watched by 3.3 million viewers.

The figure was down on the series premiere, which scored an average of 4.8 million. The episode saw a slight drop in viewers during the hour from 4.7 million in the first quarter to 4.0 million in the final quarter, although the final quarter is depressed as the programme finished earlier than the timeslot allocated.

The final ratings for Rendition will be released next week, and be based on the actual running time of the programme and include those who record the programme and watch it within seven days.

Mondays late night repeat of the series opener, The New World had 0.5 million watching.

7/22/2011 09:47:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

This week saw BBC/Warner Home Video release of the first half of Series Six on DVD(R1) and Blu-ray(A) in North America; as with the UK release the two-disc set features the seven episodes broadcast from April, and includes the two Monster Files covering The Gangers and The Silence.

7/21/2011 08:06:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

The BBC have announced that the next Adventure Game is to be released in October, and will be entitled The Gunpowder Plot. The release describes the game thus:

The Gunpowder Plot will be the most advanced of the Adventure Games so far. Gamers will be able to play as the Doctor, Amy and Rory, exploring the immersive environments of this historic period. The adventure will feature multi-linear gameplay, even more sophisticated puzzles, and a complex lighting system specifically designed to recreate the atmosphere of 17th Century London. And for the very first time, the introduction of portal technology will enable gamers to experience for themselves that the TARDIS really is bigger on the inside...

Written by Phil Ford and produced by Gary Russell, the game is set in 1605 and will see the return of two old enemies of the Doctor's - and of course will feature the main protagonist of the title, Guy Fawkes.

The game will also be accompanied by an online resource pack with downloadable assets to support History and Literature lessons in schools, via BBC Learning.

This isn't the first time the Doctor has encountered this period - the First Doctor, Ian and Barbara became embroiled in the plot back in 1996, for the Virgin Missing Adventures series book The Plotters written by Gareth Roberts.

7/21/2011 06:50:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

The BBC has announced that Caroline Skinner will join Steven Moffat as Executive Producer on Doctor Who.

Skinner has recently been working as producer on Five Days, a serial for BBC One. She has previously been script editor on productions such as House of Saddam, The Shadow in the North, The Ruby in the Smoke and Bleak House.

Skinner will start work on the series immediately, working alongside departing Executive Producer Piers Wenger on the 2011 Christmas special, before taking charge for the fourteen episodes which form the next series of the show, which leads up to the programme's 50th Anniversary.

The exec joining me on Doctor Who is Caroline Skinner - fresh from the wonderful Five Days, and still finishing up on a brand new show called The Fades (a fantasy horror series, written by Jack Thorne - I've seen episode 1, and it's BRILLIANT.) Somewhere between me laughing in a basement and choosing planets to invade, and Marcus Wilson raising armies, there has to be a Prime Minister actually running the whole thing. That's the job Piers Wenger and Beth Willis have been doing so wonderfully for the last few years. Now that Piers is off to movie land, that's the furnace Caroline will be walking into.

7/21/2011 12:58:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

The 1971 Jon Pertwee story Colony in Space, has been scheduled for release on DVD in the UK on 3rd October this year.

The story by Malcolm Hulke, sees the third Doctor, along with companion Jo Grant, sent to the planet Uxarieus by the Time Lords, where they discover a struggling colony being terrorised by giant reptiles.

The six part story was originally shown between 10th April and 15th May 1971. Katy Manning plays Jo Grant and Roger Delgado appears as the Master.

7/21/2011 12:54:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

The British Film Institute are to show a special preview screening of the Series Six second half opener Let's Kill Hitler. The screening will take place on the 15th August 2011 from 6:20pm, and will be accompanied by a Q&A session (guests to be confirmed).

As with previous Doctor Who/Torchwood events, it was fully booked by 2:30pm within hours of being announced; some return tickets might be available from the Box Office in due course.

Following the game-changing mid-series finale in June, The Doctor returns for the first of six new episodes to be broadcast on BBC One this autumn. Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill and Alex Kingston star in this new adventure written by Steven Moffat and directed by Richard Senior. Join us for the chance to see this opener to the autumn series followed by a Q&A with some special guests (to be announced nearer the time). We regret that due to the pressures of time, autographs will not be possible.

7/21/2011 12:27:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

BBC Books have announced that they are to release a new past Doctor adventure called Harvest of Time, featuring both the Third Doctor and the Master; set on both 20th century Earth and far into the future, it will see the duo battling to save the universe – and facing the ultimate moral crisis.

The book is to be written by Alastair Reynolds, who having worked at the European Space Agency for over a decade has now turned to writing full time; he has won the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel with Chasm City and shortlisted for the for the British Science Fiction and Arthur C Clarke awards with Revelation Space. He said:

Doctor Who has been a big part of my life for forty years. To put things into perspective, when I was little I did not want to go round to another boy's house because he had Dalek wallpaper, a concept I found unspeakably terrifying. I am delighted and honored to have the chance to write a novel featuring not only one of my favorite Doctors, but the single greatest villain ever imagined: The Master.

Editorial director of BBC Books, Albert DePetrillo, commented:

We've been carefully planning our venture into Doctor Who's past for a while now, first with our reissues of six of the Target novelisations, then our novelisation of Shada in 2012. The next step is all-original adventures with past Doctors, and we knew we needed to publish those in a special way. I'm absolutely delighted that Alastair can be part of that plan. He is simply one of the best science fiction writers around, and we're thrilled to have him contributing to the Doctor Who list.

7/19/2011 04:17:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

This Thursday (21st July) sees the second episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day premiering in the UK, with Rendition being broadcast at 9:00pm on BBC1/BBC1HD. The episode will also be repeated on BBC2/BBCHD the following Monday at 11:20pm, and available to watch online in the UK via the BBC iPlayer until 23rd September.

The following is the plot synopsis for Rendition which might be considered a spoiler

As the Torchwood team is reunited, Jack realises he's the most vulnerable man on Earth; and a flight to the USA turns into a desperate battle for survival.

The BBC trailer for the episode is now available online:

Torchwood online Rendition trailer, BBC, via iPlayer - may not play outside of the United Kingdom

7/19/2011 08:57:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Initial audience figures have been released for the second episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day shown on Starz, and indicate that an average of 1.4m viewers watched Rendition over its airings across the weekend. The premiere broadcast on Friday at 10:00pm was watched by 609,000 viewers. This compares with 819,000 viewers for The New World on its premier broadcast, and an average of 2m across the opening weekend.

Starz have also reported that the total audience for The New World reached 2.7m viewers once the additional weekday airings and the Live+3 DVR data have been included.

7/17/2011 04:10:00 am -
Reported by
Harry Ward

In 1974 an unknown actor called Tom Baker was cast in the lead role of Doctor Who, and turned an already popular show into a phenomenon. For a generation, the Fourth Doctor is the definite article– warm, witty, clever and sometimes very strange indeed. Clad in his trademark overlong scarf and with a bag of jelly babies to hand, he strode confidently through some of the show’s most memorable adventures. Over seven exciting years this Doctor met old adversaries - like the Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarans –with some help from much-loved friends like Sarah Jane Smith, Leela, Romana and the faithful K-9.

If you’re a fan of the incredible new series of Doctor Who, then this is a great chance to check out where the legend began. If you saw it back in the day then you won’t need reminding what awesome fun it was to go travelling with the Fourth Doctor every weeknight. Get on board the TARDIS and have yourself some all-time classic adventures in time and space with Doctor Who: The Tom Baker Years – only on SCI FI!

7/16/2011 10:38:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Visitors to the special Doctor Who immersive theatre experience, The Crash of the Elysium, got a surprise yesterday when the Doctor himself popped in to see them!

A fan of the organisers Punchdrunk since seeing one of their shows in New York, Matt Smith wanted to see the current production based around Doctor Who that has been taking place at the Manchester International Festival this month; normally, videos of the Doctor appear during the show, but producers arranged for him to appear in character yesterday instead of the final video, much to the delight of the 6-12 year old audience.

Commenting on the project, he said:

Punchdrunk and Doctor Who! A Marriage made in creative space heaven. It's been a privilege to work with Punchdrunk to put children at the heart of a Doctor Who adventure. I've always watched Punchdrunk shows and marvelled at their inventiveness and individuality. Put that together with Doctor Who and there is a wonderful template to tell unique stories in unique ways. The Doctor would definitely approve.

7/15/2011 09:00:00 pm -
Reported by
Harry Ward

Ricky Gervais has filmed a scene for his new comedy, Life's Too Short, that will feature a TARDIS and Daleks.

On the news page of his website, it is revealed that he has filmed a "little something for sci-fi nerds everywhere".

The blog post also contains photos of Gervais posing with a TARDIS and two Daleks. No other information has been revealed as yet. Guest stars in Life's Too Short include Sting, Johnny Depp and Steve Carell. It is not known if Matt Smith will guest star as himself or the Doctor in the scene

Ricky Gervais is no stranger to the world of Doctor Who. In the 2007 Christmas Special and series finale of his sitcom, Extras, he filmed a short Doctor Who parody with David Tennant as the Doctor, and himself as the slug monster called Schlong.

7/15/2011 10:05:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

Torchwood: The New World had an average audience of 4.8 million viewers on BBC One and BBC One HD, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The UK premiere of the new series had an 21% share of the audience and was the 5th most watched programme of the day, behind the four main soaps. It won the 9pm timeslot, with Single Handed on ITV1 getting 3.7 million viewers.

Episode One of the last Torchwood series, Children of Earth, had an overnight ratings of 5.9 million and a final figure of 6.47 million viewers.

The final ratings for The New World will be released next week and will include those who record the programme and watch it within seven days.

7/14/2011 07:41:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Twelve year old Jessica Rickarby won the design-a-monster competition which featured in the magazine with her design, Screamer, picked from over 1,000 entries. The monster was then incorporated into a comic strip character for the Doctor to encounter in last week's issue, and a model maker has created a physical version which has been put on display to visitors to the Doctor Who Experience for the next three months; Jessica will then receive it to keep.

Natalie Barnes, editor of Doctor Who Adventures said:

The popularity of our Design A Monster competition highlighted the amazing imagination of children in the UK – but as soon as we saw the Screamer we knew that Jessica’s creation was the winner. With the ability to render its victim unconscious by screaming in its face, the Screamer was so original and so scary, we had to ask the model-maker to make sure it wasn't too terrifying for adults!

The prize-winning design featured on today's edition of the news programme for children on BBC1, Newsround - this is currently available to watch in the UK via their website.

7/14/2011 04:24:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

In what seems to be turning into a regular trip to the historic castles of Wales, this week sees the TARDIS materialise at the gate of Caernarfon Castle in North Wales. The police box prop stands prominently in the Queen's Gate and will be there until 27th July.

Previously, the police box appeared at Raglan Castle back in February, and also turned up on the battlements of Caerphilly Castle during December 2009 as part of promotional activities by the Welsh historic environment service CADW.

Doctor Who's relationship with castles and castle-like structures has flourished in recent years; May's adventure The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People saw several such locations used for filming, including Cardiff Castle, Caerphilly Castle, St Donat's Castle (aka Atlantic College), and the ruins of Neath Abbey.

7/12/2011 11:38:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide's Annual Review for 2011 has been released, and figures show that Doctor Who has led the way for the BBC's commercial arm's success in the last year.

The series was the biggest show sold internationally last year, and is now available in over fifty territories. It saw significant growth within the United States, including becoming the third-biggest seller in the US iTunes charts (behind Mad Men and Glee). Overall, the Doctor Who franchise saw its revenue increase by 49%.

Series Five was one of the top five selling series for BBC Worldwide, with the others being the first series of Sherlock, series 15 and 16 of Top Gear, and Human Planet. In terms of revenue, the top three series were Top Gear, Doctor Who, and Waking the Dead.

Doctor Who is one of the five "power brands", along with Top Gear, Lonely Planet, BBC Earth and Dancing with the Stars; together their revenue reached £308.1m, accounting for 27% of BBC Worldwide's total of £1.16 billion.

7/12/2011 04:09:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

The BBC are to make a number of classic and new Doctor Who stories available to watch via their Facebook page. The stories, which includes (the as-yet unreleased on DVD) The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, will be 'rentable' for 48 hours from the page using Facebook's proprietry credit system.

As we have grown internationally, we've seen through our Facebook channel that fans who are loving the new series are asking for a guide into our rich Doctor Who back catalogue. Our approach to Facebook and other leading edge platforms is to be right there alongside them in fostering innovation. We see this service as a perfect way to give our fans what they want, as well as a great way for them to get their fix between now and the autumn when Series Six continues.

Millions of people engage with their favourite TV shows on Facebook every day and we're now seeing broadcasters look at innovative ways to use Facebook tools to connect their fans with exclusive content. Through its Facebook page, BBC Worldwide is giving Doctor Who fans a quick and easy way to access these iconic episodes.

The stories will be accessible via the BBC's application on Facebook, and may be viewed by users from Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

7/12/2011 11:57:00 am -
Reported by
Marcus

The premiere of Torchwood: Miracle Day drew nearly a million viewers to SPACE on Saturday delivering the channel its highest audience ever.

The New World achieved an average of 432,000 viewers with 929,000 watching some part episode. When compared to the premiere of Torchwood’s third series, Children of Earth, the premiere of Miracle Day increased 55% among total viewers, 49% among A25-54, 53% among A18-49, and 56% among female viewers.

7/12/2011 09:59:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

Audience figures have been released for the premiere episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day broadcast on the US cable subscription channel Starz on Friday, and indicate that 1.51m watched The New World on its first two broadcasts (819000 at 10:00pm, 687000 at 11:00pm); a combined figure of 2m viewers was reached after the Sunday evening repeats.

The figures compare favourably with Starz's recent series Camelot, which achieved the highest "original series" premiere for the channel back in April with 1.57m tuning in on its opening night, and then too reached 2m by the end of the weekend.

Torchwood's viewing figures above do not factor in on-demand or online viewers.

7/11/2011 03:33:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Force18 are offering readers of Doctor Who News a chance to win one of their new Doctor Who-inspired t-shirt designs.

In order to enter the competition, simply answer the following question:

Force18's new designs are inspired by two of Doctor Who's memorable icons ... but in which episode did we see a Dalek actually appear inside the TARDIS?

Closing date: Sunday 17 July. Open to residents of the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and all EU Member States.

Email your answer to this competition address with the subject line "Force18 Competition" - we will contact the winners with details on how to receive their prize from Force18 after the competition has closed. Please state which t-shirt design you'd prefer to receive if you win.

7/11/2011 11:49:00 am -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

An "alternative census" has been carried out in the UK to determine what constitutes the "average" person's life in the United Kingdom, and reports that Doctor Who is the programme they most like to watch!

The survey was undertaken in over 2000 households by energy management service AlertMe, with chief executive officer of the company Mary Turner explaining:

The government census tells us information that is quite run-of-the-mill. We wanted to find out the bare bones of people’s everyday behaviour.

Looking into daily lives, the report uncovered snippets such as favourites foods of the week (with fish and chips being the obvious Friday winner), families eating together three times a week (at 5:54pm!), and generally getting home from work at 5:15pm. Eight out of ten families consider themselves to be "happy" or "very happy", with 70% of adults considering their household as "completely normal". Half of families surveyed also indicated that television is their main form of entertainment, with a typical family tuning in for some nine hours a day and citing Doctor Who as their favoured show.

The survey also found that the average person gets up at 6:57am and goes to bed at 10:50pm - so there's no reason to miss Torchwood this coming Thursday!